Dog feces spat sparks indecent exposure charge in Oak Park

OAK PARK – A man was charged Friday with indecent exposure after police say he shook his penis at a woman who lives next door because she and her husband complained to the city about the stench of dog feces in his yard.

The suspect, Irving Gilliam, 46, of Oak Park owns two dogs -- a shepherd and a spaniel, police said.

The married couple next door told police they had complained to the city about the odor of dog droppings in Gilliam’s yard before he exposed himself Thursday.

A city code enforcement officer visited Gilliam’s house in the 21000 block of Cloverlawn on Wednesday and left a notice ordering the suspect to clean up his yard, police said.

“The next-door neighbors told us the odor was so bad they couldn’t sit on their patio in the backyard anymore,” said Oak Park Public Safety Lt. Samantha Kretzschmar.

The argument with Gilliam started about 6:50 a.m. Thursday, police said.

“The husband and the suspect were out front arguing while the woman was watching from the front window,” Kretzschar said. “The suspect was swearing at the husband for complaining to the city about the dog feces in his yard.”

The woman told police she knocked on the window to stop the suspect swearing at her husband.

Her husband was walking away from the suspect and headed for his own house when Gilliam is accused of exposing himself to the woman.

The husband’s back was turned as he headed to his house and he didn’t see what happened, police said.

“The suspect pulled his penis out and wagged it at the woman in the window,” Kretzschmar said. “The woman told us she was horrified and called police.”

Police arrived and talked to the suspect and his neighbors. Gilliam’s breath smelled of alcohol but he denied drinking, police said.

Gilliam was arrested and was arraigned Friday before Oak Park 45B District Judge David Gubow, who set the suspect’s bond at $5,000, 10 percent.

The indecent exposure charge against Gilliam is a one-year misdemeanor. He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing in Oak Park District Court at 1 p.m. July 17.